Saturday, December 31, 2016

Mark Armstrong Denouncing Arrival of Refugees and the "Angry Left"

Mark Armstrong, leader of the Intercontinental Church of God, has released another weekly update (December 30, 2016).

Once again he fixates on Muslims simplistically stereotyped as violent extremists and appeals to xenophobia. Churches which condemn deportations are slurred as profiting from them.

Accepting "illegal aliens and refugees" is condemned as being "against the will of the people". Note how he does not even bother to question if these refugees are true refugees. It seems he does not want his nation to even allow actual refugees to find a safe haven in America.

As is common in Islamophobia the acts of violent extremists are used to discredit liberals.

Doubtful many will mourn the passing of calendar year 2016. It's been a time of accelerating the influx of illegal aliens and refugees at citizens' expense against the will of the people, with the possible exception of the churches profiting from their involvement. It was a year liberally punctuated with some of the most heinous terror attacks throughout western civilization, including here in the United States. We've learned, as Israel already knew, that the enemy within doesn't have to hijack airplanes or build bombs to carry out a massacre. Would-be terrorists only need to jump behind the wheel of a vehicle, or start wielding a knife in a crowd. As these realities have dawned on more and more casual observers, our outgoing civilian leaders remain aloof, in complete and utter denial.

He condemns the United States' abstaining from voting about a resolution condemning the construction of Israeli settlements on land acquired after the Six Day War of 1967.

He responds to concerns about the influence of suspected Russian hackers on the presidential election by accusing the Obama Administration of trying to make Netanyahu lose in the Israeli elections of 2015.

Suddenly, after years of empty threats (the Syrian “red line,” and “we can do stuff too,” as told to Putin), the president has deported a stable of Russian diplomats back to where they came from for having purportedly released damaging internal communications derived from the Democratic National Committee. None were made up or fraudulent, but they did show illegal and underhanded collusion to usher Hillary Clinton into position to win the presidency. Roars of outrage can still be heard as “experts and analysts” claim that “foreign influence and interference” was a factor in her loss.

Nobody on those discussion panels, particularly the animated and angry, seem to have any recollection of well-documented White House influence and U. S. moneys requisitioned to defeat Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli election of last year. But, much to the president's chagrin, Netanyahu won anyway.

Iran is denounced as usual. Russia's increased military presence in Syria is mentioned as evidence of America's decline.

While alluding to the widespread celebrations ushering the new year he cites "the ravings of the angry left [and] the malevolent intentions of demented jihadists" as common threats to his audience. His Islamophobia is a tool to vilify the left.

The first of January will be celebrated by vast throngs of revelers all across the globe as one time zone after another clicks over to calendar year 2017. With any luck, it will herald not only the end of a calendar year, but the beginning of the end of an era of politically correct lunacy. But neither the ravings of the angry left nor the malevolent intentions of demented jihadists will recede quietly.

Tensions regarding the South China Sea is mentioned.

He then condemns leaders in Europe for accepting immigrants. Recently acts of mass murder are used to scare monger against accepting immigrants and refugees in general. The arrival of immigrants, many of whom are fleeing from a cataclysmic war in Syria, is hysterically denounced as causing "the loss of security and the steady demolition of their inherited culture" and as the product of a "destructive ideology". He wildly accuses these immigrants, many of whom fled the war in Syria, of trampling over "every pretext of law, order and civility". Unlike the unfortunate people of Syria this individual in Tyler has never had to see his nation get torn apart as has happened in Syria.

The leaders of Europe are appalled by what they've seen take place in Britain (leaving the EU) and in the election of Donald Trump. The terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris, Nice and Berlin? They've taken those in self-righteous stride, knowing they're “doing the right thing” where immigration is concerned. As the people of Europe experience first-hand the loss of security and the steady demolition of their inherited culture, the hated “populist” movement may well sweep away the power of haughty Euro-crats as early as next year. We'll see. But Europe is in economic and cultural decline the likes of which its inhabitants have not known since the fall of Hitler. They're watching as Britain and the United States opt out of the destructive ideology preached by pope Francis and Angela Merkel, while every pretext of law, order and civility is trampled by a variety of immigrants and refugees who don't even much like each other.

It seems strange that he should say, "Europe is in economic and cultural decline the likes of which its inhabitants have not known since the fall of Hitler." Hitler's fall was a good thing. His turn of phrase sounds odd. That should have been worded differently.

He ends this weekly update by insisting that the time is short before the tapestry of dire prophecies taught by HWA, Garner Ted Armstrong and their various imitators will soon occur. He also promotes the discredited idea of British Israelism. White Americans are inaccurately referred to as "the descendants of Biblical Israel".

Have you ever seen so many things in such a state of flux, all at the same time? The weeks and months ahead promise to be one of the most interesting, potentially dangerous times in human history. We intend to continue putting out the information that will help people understand who the descendants of Biblical Israel actually are, and what kind of responsibility that entails. The sermon preached here in Tyler last week by Mr. Stan Roberts goes extensively through that very subject, and we highly recommend it. It is entitled, Wake up ISRAEL! There are indications that the Word is getting out.

Although it is taught that Europe is fated to conquer the United States one cannot help but notice how he chooses to scare monger about Muslims while he teaches that Europe is fated to conquer the United States. What a glaring inconsistency.

So even while so many are celebrating in this happy time of holidays and celebration he still insists on trying to keep his audience feel miserable and scared.

2 comments:

The term "illegal alien" seems to beg to be used in a joke - Robin Williams as Mork came close. The arduous task of immigration officials is to process "undocumented entrants" to determine their refuge or migrant status, and it's not "illegal until proven legal".

At some point, people discovered that you become both controversial and more highly visible by espousing right wing paradigms. Based on the old "any publicity is good publicity" cliche, some also apply "if a little is good, a lot is better", going ultra-right, and not caring whether they appear as ridiculous or neanderthal, just so long as they are noticed.

Mark's father also embraced some of the leftist ideas of his day, such as environmentalism. Unfortunately, the ACOGs have gone hard right, losing their compass and their balance in the process.

If You are new please read this

Hand in Hand for Syria

Keep Somalia's Remittances Open

I encourage readers to sign this petition from Oxfam calling upon the U.S. government to let the Somali diaspora continue to send remittance to their loved ones in Somalia.

Moves have been made to shut down such remittances from Somalis in America. Many Somalis need these remittances. The remittances to Somalia are larger than foreign aid contributions and are a lifeline to these people caught in trouble and turmoil.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

Truth about Roderick C. Meredith

What sort of man is he? A man who could say things like this.

"Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings. Some of our weaker members apparently do not realize that this man is in direct rebellion against God and His government! We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to one whose gross immorality, whose long standing "play acting" and hypocrisy, and whose direct insubordination to the Government of God has long been and is now a source of confusion and DIVISION among God's people. So, as per Mr. Armstrong's instruction, I charge and exhort every one of you faithful ministers of the living Christ to explain this in no uncertain terms to your members, to warn them about this cause of division and then to disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows." (Roderick C. Meredith, Pastor's Report, May 21, 1979, pp. 1-2.)

David Robinson on Roderick C. Meredith

"During the ten years I have been an employee of the Worldwide Church, you have been poorly spoken of by most of the ministers and employees I have known. I vividly remember the absolute unbounded glee that was openly expressed by a good number of respected men in the church when you were first "shanghaied." [In 1972.] I could begin by naming names, which I am sure would shock you. I was one of the few who stood, where possible, for you. Your tenure as superintendent of ministers, as I believe the office was then called, was looked on as nightmarish. While you held office during the years of growth, most of those whom I know gave you very little credit for that growth. Almost everyone whom I know, whether they be former friends of yours, or continuing foes, recalls insensitive and terrible things you have done. Without exception, at least among my acquaintances, they all credit you with an unbridled lust for power and list you as one who is willing to pay the price of gaining that power, no matter what. I have, through many of the last few years, believed you had principles you would not violate. Many a man of experience in the church assured me of my error. Events have proven me wrong and them right. Mr. Armstrong has himself been widely quoted as saying of you that you were so righteous that you were so "righteous you were unrighteous." " (David Robinson, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web, Chapter 16, p. 207.)

Of course it is impossible for me to personally verify these assertions but people deserve to know what this knowledgeable man had to say about him.